A bit about Joanne D

I specialise in Business and Economics. I have been teaching these subjects in the UK and UAE for the past 20 years. Teaching GCSE, A level and IB. I have also taught IGCSE Enterprise and BTEC Business, Enterprise and Hospitality. My roles have also included Head of Department, Head of Year and BTEC co-ordinator. I have a flair for enterprise and entrepreneurship and having had my own business I can bring this real life application into the classroom. I am a highly motivated leader with over 20 years experience of delivering educational excellence through people. As a Business, Economics, ICT teacher , manager and people champion , I can drive culture change by communication and a strong people centred vision. Empowering students and gaining support at all levels of the organisation. I am an effective mentor who can build high performing and engaging lessons and have a proven track record of successfully managing change within education. Each of my lessons is personalised to the students I teach. Relating theory to their interests and hobbies. as well as real life issues. Students enjoy my lessons because they don't realise they are learning, this is because they are well organised and engaging. Due to my experience I have many ideas and resources that I can bring into lessons when needed. This allows my lessons to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the learners. On my cards when students are leaving my class following their exams , they always thank me for making the subject easy to understand and fun. I am also an experienced examiner therefore I know what examiners are looking for and weave this into lessons to ensure students aim for the highest grades. I feel fortunate to teach a subject that relates to the real world and is constantly changing. Some subjects on the curriculum can seem dated to students and seem pointless in learning resulting in dis-engagement. However, since Business and the economy are constantly changing this allows the examples in lessons and learning to change. Students are always learning and I am not only preparing them for their exams but I am helping shape their individuality. The knowledge they acquire allows the students to form their own opinions about the world rather than repeating what other people think or what they see in the media. They want to continue to learn and read around the subject allowing them to grow and mature and develop a growth mindset. Therefore it allows me to develop the student both academically and holistically. I started tutoring a few years into my teaching career. It started with just one child who needed help as her teacher had left and they had a non-specialist teacher. Following the success that tutoring had on this child , word spread, and I have been inundated ever since. During my teaching career I have taught or managed the following exam boards: IGCSE, IB, AQA, CCEA, WJEC, EDEXCEL, OCN. Outside teaching I enjoy travelling and keeping healthy and fit. I have a BA (hons) in Business, a PGCE in Secondary education specialising in Business, I am currently studying for a MSC in Business Innovation. I am passionate about Business and Economics and wanted to pass this passion on to students. When I was in school I found that my teachers were boring and apathetic. They had no relationship with the class and didn't seem to want one either and this can impact the student's learning. I wanted to go into teaching to change this. I have a strong rapport with the students I teach , as without it , I wouldn't be able to design engaging lessons as I wouldn't know what they were interested in. I truly believe when you have their heart you have their head. My teaching style is student led and will therefore depend on the students in front of me and the work we are doing. I vary my teaching style from discussing , delegating and direct. As this allows the students to learn through interaction and empowerment. My favourite thing about being a tutor is that I get to work one to one with students. This gives me the time to go deep into their knowledge and understanding , seeing them going from hating a subject to loving it , seeing their confidence grow and their results improving. For me it would be hard to pinpoint my greatest success as there have been so many in terms of academics. However lately I was involved in an inter-generational project that allowed students to learn skills outside their specialism , and work with the film industry. They then used their skills to tackle loneliness in the community in particular pensioners at home alone or in care homes. To see the difference that the students made to the lives of the pensioners and to see the difference in the students when working and learning from the older generation was priceless. Students always say when leaving the qualification that I make learning fun and easy to understand. I have said in previous responses that when you have a student's heart you have their head. I truly believe this and believe it is important to build this relationship as soon as you meet your new class. As if you go straight in with content without knowing anything about them it will be irrelevant to them and they will disengage. Therefore when I get my timetable I always start with a getting to know you session. The information I gather is priceless. As I can now design my lessons with my students interests in mind. Once you have put this work in at the beginning of the year you will reap the rewards in terms or engagement and results.